Talking WrestleMania 28 on the Loikamania podcast

This past week I had the distinct pleasure to appear on the special WrestleMania edition of Pat Loika’s appropriately named Loikamania podcast, along with a distinguished panel of Marvel Comics employees and marks, including Associate Editor of Marvel.com Ben Morse, Sales and Communications Coordinator James Viscardi and of course, Executive Editorial Director of Marvel.com Ryan Penagos, better known on the internet as Twitter celebrity Agent M.

I had an absolute blast talking with all these guys. So much of my thinking and opining about wrestling is done through writing that it was a real treat to be involved in a discussion that didn’t involve sifting through “You suck!” comments or entering anything into a CMS. As a special bonus, I used to work with all those Marvel guys, so I think we quickly found a comfortable rhythm while going through the card for this weekend’s show. Some of the ideas expressed might be familiar to folks who already checked out my own WrestleMania XXVIII preview over at GuySpeed.com, but there should be plenty of new stuff in there to check out as well.

Stream it online from Pat’s site or get it on iTunes now!

 

The harmful myth of comics for non-comics-readers

A panel from the wildly successful Walking Dead comic

Was this aimed at "non comics readers"?

Pretty frequently a rallying cry will go up in the comics industry for “comics for non-comics readers!” or “comics for kids!” or “comics for middle-aged women!” or any variation of the above. If the intent is to expand readership, move units and get more eyeballs, fantastic and good on you, but I have to wonder about the course of action being taken, because frankly, making comics for people who don’t read comics is no way to do any of that.

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Sayonora, Kick-Ass 2!

Today I went into Marvel Comics to send out Kick-Ass 2#7, the final issue of the growing franchise’s second volume. Despite having to be careful about putting it on my resume, and having at least two people tell me “We can’t include that in your bio,” it’s still one of the projects I’m most proud to have edited. Thanks to the 2010 movie, it’s a household name, created and completely owned by the book’s writer and artist, and that’s flat-out awesome.

What made the experience truly great though was who I got to work with: Mark Millar, John Romita Jr., Tom Palmer, Dean White and Chris Eliopolous. These guys are the absolute tops in the comics business and I defy you to find a comic published in the last five – maybe even 10 – years with a better credits page than Kick-Ass 2. But it’s not just the names – all five of these guys, as well as folks who helped us out like Dan Brown, Michael Kelleher and Clayton Cowles, laid it all out on the page to put out the best-looking comic book on the stands, bar none.

If you come here via my wrestling chitchat, I encourage you to check out Kick-Ass – the first volume, backissues of the second volume, waiting until the collected version of the second comes out this year, whatever legal means you can go to in order to get this thing in your hands. It’s got the same sense of exuberant, gleeful, over-the-top, taboo-obliterating, sensational action and violence that the best pro-wrestling also boasts.

Don’t believe me? Then go buy the first issue of vol. 1 for the scandalously low price of $1.99 over at Comixology – you can read in your browser or on pretty much any smartphone or tablet.

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